The Gathering of Greatness: Team Aldous at 3

Last month, team Aldous had its 3rd anniversary celebration at the premises of the Manila Culinary and Hospitality Academy in Greenhills. I was once again invited by Aldous Calubad to witness this splendid and glamorous event. Being the type who enjoys, social events, I obliged.

The event was hosted by the Royal Caterer, one of the prominent stars in the catering industry. It has a number of wedding and party packages for grand occasions. The host was truly generous since they provided a photobooth, musical performances, and free-flowing food and alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks. Add to that the special appearance of delicacies from Maraschino Cakes, a specialty cake store that makes excellent chocolate and red velvet cakes. Also, there were special performances from Mark Lingad and his band. With this lineup of sponsors, nothing really went wrong.

Upon reaching the venue, I had a great time. I tried out the different varieties of alcohol and food awaiting me. I superbly enjoyed the beef kebab skewers and the Hungarian sausage that was in generous amounts. Also, the cakes and desserts provided by Maraschino bakeshop and the Royal Caterer were a perfect accompaniment to the delicious viands I tasted.

The members of team Aldous also had a blast. We had a great time talking about our blogging experiences and the performances for the night. We also made sure that we had great and wacky group pics in the photobooth. Lastly, we made sure to try out the delicacies provided by the sponsors.

The story in photos:

The event poster

The execellent catering service courtesy of The Royal Caterer

Team Aldous at 3!

Team Aldous enjoying special drinks from Wild Cocktails

The Chocolate Ferrero cake from Maraschino Cakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes from Maraschino Cakes

Some shot glasses lined up

Special Performance by Mr. Mark Lingad and band

The team taking a pic of Maraschino Cakes

Courtesy of the Royal Caterer

The Photobooth courtesy of Berk's Studio photography

The succulent fried lumpia wraps

The tasty beef kebab skewers

Hungarian Sausage with onion rings

The sponsors for this event include:

The Royal Caterer
www.facebook.com/theroyal.caterer
Instagram @theroyalcaterer.ph

0922 848 9889

0917 670 0289

(02) 723 4926

(02) 724 2756

Fantasy Kiosk Photo Booth
www.facebook.com/fantasykioskphotobooth
Instagram @fantasykiosk
Link of Photos - https://www.facebook.com/fantasykioskphotobooth/media_set?set=a.1268625586494532.1073742449.100000413072352&type=3&pnref=story

Thanks to Berk's Studio Photography and Videography for pictures
www.facebook.com/berksphotoandvideo
Instagram @berksphotoandvideo
(02) 662-0137
0977-088-8080
0910-211-1121

Orange Lights and Sounds
09178060980

Wild Cocktails
www.facebook.com/wildcocktailrizal
wildcocktailsbar.com
09988541585

Maraschino Bakeshop
www.facebook.com/MaraschinoBakeshop
Instagram @maraschinobakeshop

Bethany Dream Cakes
www.facebook.com/BethanyDreamCakes
(02) 986-06-74

FX United preview: a sneak peek into the world of Forex trading

Just last week, Ms. Acee Comla gave me the privilege of exploring a little known yet fertile field of investment opportunity: Forex trading. The company, FX united, started out as a Belgian company which expanded its operations to Malaysia, and more recently, to the Philippines. 

As one of the reputable brokers in 6 trillion dollar industry that spans continents, cities, and countries, FX United has provided premium services in foreign exchange investment. It boasts of a powerful affiliate system that consists of 7 ways to earn. The first is through active trading using the award-winning Metatrader 4 platform, an electronic system developed by the Russians. Newbies can first join through a 500 usd deposit in a Winst account. This account has a usd 150 bonus for learning the basics of trading. It also has strict controls and limitations to help the newbie and prevent him from losing his capital. The second is a standard account. This is akin to real world of Forex where a trader can trade according to his risk appetite. The third is through a direct referral system where a trader can refer his friends, family, and acquaintances for a cash bonus. Furthermore, the trades they make are subject to commissions which the referring broker can earn himself. (the fourth mode of earning)

The fifth mode is through an indirect referral system that makes the first referrer an income earner to the people his downline invited. While this system sounds like a bit more like MLM, FX united assured us that their enterprise isn't a ponzi scheme. It's more of an incentivization for broadening their market base. 

Furthermore, one of the company's key features is a CGAT or Capital Gains Automated Trading system that promises a 12% monthly return with minimal risk to capital invested. In this wise, a computer controlled trader invests the client's capital into trading to create the desired gain. It does sound too good to be true but it actually is true. The speaker himself attested to gaining the 12%. (the sixth and seventh mode of earning)

Forex has its risks, and about 90% of investors usually lose here. But with FX United, a trader can gain knowledge and insights to improve the way he trades and eventually make substantial gains. Also, Forex trading, while unregulated by local laws, is nevertheless permissible, albeit with its risks and returns. However, with the right tools, mindset, attitude, and knowledge, one can make this field as a tool to financial freedom! In the future, I'd truly want to invest in this fruitful activity.

FX United is located at 31st floor, One Corporate Tower, Pasig. Its main office is in Rockwell, Makati.

Mr. Ivan Dizon explaining the fundamentals of Forex trading

Sunlife: an afternoon with Mr. Aya Laraya on the importance of managing money and debt

Once again, Sunlife Philippines Inc. extended an invitation to attend a talk on money management, hosted by Mr. Aya Laraya, an investment and finance guru. The topic for the afternoon was about debt and the proper attitude toward it. I'm not usually beholden to crippling amounts of debt.  Nevertheless, I took the talk as an opportunity to learn that debt can be used as an instrument to increase one's financial standing and potential.

Debt simply means: the use of other people's money, usually for a fee. However, not all debt is supposed to be considered bad or given a negative connotation. There are good ones such as business receivables, credit, and collateral which are usually used in the ordinary course of business. Furthermore,  equity investment such as IPO's and partnership shares can be used to generate working capital for the operation of an enterprise. Thirdly, there are also investment instruments such as bonds, stocks, and deposit substitutes which are intangible investment instruments for the purpose of generating wealth.

While good debt is taken advantage of to boost income, there are also forms of debt that can debilitate productivity. These are in the forms of bad debt. Bad debt is generally used to finance consumer spending and short term gratification such as luxury items and non-essentials.

According to Mr. Laraya, a good informal rule for controlling the amount you borrow is to use a month's salary. Furthermore, you can also tell your credit card provider to decrease the credit limit in order to curb the temptation to spend more. Lastly, using the debt to fund more productive ventures is a better way to reconsider consumer spending.

 I also learned about good informal rules in gauging loan amounts. In business loans, a good rule to follow is to borrow not more than 50% of owner's equity. While in housing, having 35% of income amortization is the limit for monthly payments.

Also, there are 3 ideas which can be used to ask whether a person should enter into debt. One is measuring how much one owns. The second is the size of the debt; and the third is how much a person can pay.

Lastly, in order to gain freedom from debt, a person must do three things:
1.Eliminate the credit card as a means of quick cash.
2. Create a payment plan in negotiating debt.
3. Switch to more efficient means of living.

Debt is truly a powerful thing, whether for its good or bad aspects. Albert Einstein truly nailed the concept of debt when he said that the most powerful force in the world is compound interest.

Papa John's Blogger's Night at SM Megamall (September 9, 2016)

Papa John's Pizza is a testament to the hard work and dedication of its founder, John Schnatter. In his younger days, he worked his way from a humble dishwasher up to the pizza maker of a restaurant. In due time, he sold his car in order to open up the first Papa John's pizza joint in his hometown. His business has become so successful that the company has grown to 4,700 outlets worldwide under the umbrella of numerous franchisees.

Just last week, I was invited by Ms. Rizcelle of Berjaya Philippines Inc. to the Blogger's Night of Papa John's Restaurant at SM Megamall. According to her, Papa John's pizza boasts of a delightful array of flavors and fresh ingredients that is sure to whet the appetite of hungry diners. I wanted to try out this guarantee by tasting their dishes for myself.

Our food tour started with a taste of their appetizers. The Pepperocini Dynamite (Php 95) was composed of 6 sticks of pepperocini wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese sauce. It had a slightly salty and moderately tangy and spicy flavor fit for those who love their appetizers hot. Add to this their Ultimate Potato Wedges (Php 145), a sweet and peppery mix of fried potato wedges dressed with cheese, garlic mayo, bacon and lettuce, and you have a killer combo that's sure to whet one's appetite to the maximum. We were also given a taste of their experimental dish, the Spinach Cheese Stromboli, a baked pastry composed of cheese and spinach wrapped in a soft, chewy bread that kids and adults will surely love.

We then tried their specialty pastas, namely the Cheesy Mushroom (Php 99 for single/Php 200 for large), the Creamy Crab Meat (Php 99 for single/Php 200 for large) and the Spinach Alfredo (Php 99 for single/Php 200 for large). These three variants were complete with tasty sauces, generous servings, and fresh ingredients. The Cheesy Mushroom pasta had this thick cheese sauce and tasty mushrooms that made me, a cheese and mushroom lover, proud. The Creamy crab meat, I must admit is more suited for seafood lovers; while the Spinach alfredo is for those who want their pasta at a much simpler texture and quality. The latter had bits of spinach garnished with basil leaves.

The meal wasn't complete without their American style crispy fried chicken. at Php 390 for 3 pieces, Php 559 for 5 pieces, and Php 670 for 7 pieces, this generously served dish had huge pieces of golden brown chicken fried to a crisp. The taste reminded me of home style chicken that my mom used to serve me. However, this version boasted of thick and tangy gravy and a golden brown breading that left me wanting more. While I must admit that it's a tad pricey, I'd say that the price is still worth the experience.

The highlight of the night was the pizza flavors we were offered. I had three variants: the Super Papa, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and the classic Pepperoni. These are served in 9 inch (Php 350), 12 inch (Php 485) and 14 inch (Php 595) sizes. These premium flavors are usually drizzled with a generous helping of meat, particularly bacon, mozzarella cheese, and a chewy crust. The Super Papa is considered as their premier and flagship pizza flavor due to the generous helping of meat and vegetables. I particularly liked this variant because it had a wonderful balance of flavors. The Pepperoni, despite its oily and greasy state, was still an excellent representation of the classic flavor. The pepperoni slices were huge. Add to that a thick helping of cheese; and you'll really have the time of your life with the pizza. The Chicken Bacon Ranch reminded me of a chicken sandwich due to the ranch flavoring on top. While less stellar than the other two flavors; I'd recommend it for kids or adults who want their pizza conservative in terms of taste.

Lastly, the meal wasn't complete without a helping of their dessert, the Pineapple Cinnamon Rolls. While being at its experimental stage, I'd say that It may be a hit among diners. This delectably sweet rolls are good for those who love an explosion of flavors when it comes to dessert. It has 7 pieces and is truly delightful to devour.

Papa John's truly is generous when it comes to their events. Furthermore, their food does live up to the hype and adoration from its patrons and fans alike. You can visit Papa John's Pizza at https://www.facebook.com/Papa-Johns-Pizza-Philippines-127898463920397/. Their SM Megamall branch is located at 3/F SM Megamall. 

The story in pictures:

The pizza menu

The Papa John's membership card.

The entrance

Their 199 promo.

The potato wedges appetizer

The Spinach Cheese Stromboli

The Pepperocini dynamite with bacon wrapped

I was examining the content of the Stromboli

The Cheesy Mushroom Pasta

The Creamy Crab Meat Pasta

The Spinach Alfredo Pasta

Papa John's around the world

The spacious dining area

The Super Papa - the flagship pizza

The garlic cheese sauce and pepperocini

The pepperoni pizza

Another shot!

Look at the generous pepperoni toppings!

The American style crispy fried chicken - just look at the humongous servings!

Another shot!

The chicken bacon ranch pizza

Pineapple Cinnamon Rolls

The menu

The kind kitchen staff!